Tuesday, May 5th, 4:30 PM.
The sunlight wasn't too harsh, but it wasn't gentle either.
At this time of day, most people were already looking forward to the arrival of night—when all of Tokyo would be illuminated by neon lights of every color.
Tsuzuki Shifune gazed out the window. As a mother whose child was no longer by her side and a grandmother with only one granddaughter left, she was actually quite content with life.
Little Raana had gone back to school.
She had picked up the guitar again.
She had found a new home.
That was enough.
But when the sound of the front door opening echoed from the entryway, her brows furrowed.
"Raana?"
She was home early today.
A little too early, actually.
"Didn't you say you were going to band practice with that onee-san? Why are you back so soon?"
"..."
Raana didn't answer. She looked visibly dejected, and Shifune, sensing something was off, continued,
"You came home early yesterday too...
Did something happen?"
"She's not onee-san after all…" Raana's voice was filled with disappointment, and the sight of her like this made Shifune's heart ache.
"I'm not doing the band anymore."
"You had a falling out?"
"Mm."
"Was it that onee-san you mentioned? Did she have a fight with the others?"
Shifune didn't think her granddaughter was the type to get into arguments.
This quiet, cat-like girl always did things at her own pace, never letting others' misunderstandings affect her.
Because… her older sister had been the same way.
That child, Chihiro, had left too deep of an imprint on Raana.
Even now, the little girl still hadn't let go of that incident.
But to join a band just because someone reminded her of Chihiro…
It was never going to end well.
Shifune might have stepped away from the spotlight, but back in the day, she had been one of the best in the industry.
She had seen far too much of this world.
People often had a lot of stereotypes about rock bands,
but the truth was, if no one in a band carried any baggage—if no one had personal struggles—
there would be no emotional friction, no creative sparks.
A band needed that friction.
Through it, members examined themselves and each other.
They clashed, compromised, and accepted one another.
They transformed negative emotions into something greater—
and through music, they made peace with everything.
So if Raana had joined a band only because someone resembled Chihiro,
it was bound to fall apart.
"Raana… Chihiro is gone."
"I don't believe it!"
The usually emotionless girl suddenly raised her voice.
"Onee-san would never leave me…!"
With that, she said no more.
She turned and shut herself in her room, leaving Shifune to let out a sigh.
"Raana…"
---
Meanwhile, at the RiNG front lounge.
Shiinа Taki leaned against the bar, absentmindedly staring off into the distance.
Her mind, of course, was occupied with the mess of a band Soyo had left behind.
If she had known it would turn out like this… she wouldn't have agreed to this whole thing in the first place.
Still… Anon actually tried really hard in practice yesterday.
Her playing's still rough, but she really put in the effort.
Taki shook her head.
She was exhausted.
It would've been nice if Raana had stuck around.
At least her skills were undeniable.
But after everything that had happened yesterday, that stray cat had gone and done exactly what her nickname suggested—vanished into some unknown corner.
…Maybe that was why Anon was suddenly practicing so seriously?
Still no sign of her... Is Umiri still not done?
Breaking free from her daze, Taki glanced toward the entrance.
There was still no sign of Umiri.
Umiri was one of the few people from her class she got along with.
Their conversations could get a bit… abstract at times, but Taki trusted her.
Anyone who could juggle bass duties for dozens of bands while maintaining a reliable presence was already leagues ahead of Anon and Soyo, who either constantly wavered or disappeared entirely.
That said, Umiri was a busy person.
She was probably wrapping up another practice.
She had promised to come help out once she was done.
Guess I'll just wait…
Just as she was about to head to the back to wash her face, the automatic doors at the entrance slid open.
Since Tomori and Anon were already inside practicing, if this was a familiar face rather than a random customer, it could only be—
Taki turned around—
And her expression instantly darkened.
"Soyo…"
That familiar tea-brown-haired girl walked toward her, and with every step she took, Taki's face grew colder.
She had no interest in continuing whatever pointless conversation this girl wanted to have about the past.
"Taki, I'll have an Earl Grey tea."
"Tch."
Tsuzuki Chihiro blinked in mild surprise.
She hadn't expected that, in just a single day, Soyo had managed to sour Taki's mood this much.
Soyo had actually succeeded in making Taki more hostile to her than she was to that pink-haired one.
Though, she was curious about Anon—
Had Taki kicked her out, too?
Chihiro raised a brow but didn't dwell on it.
If Anon had been booted, that little crybaby definitely would've called her by now, begging for comfort.
But since everything seemed quiet, Anon was probably still in the band.
"Don't be so cold," Chihiro teased. "Can't you just treat me like a normal customer?"
"Hmph. You can wait."
Taki deliberately slowed her movements, dragging each step just to spite her.
Chihiro, unfazed, simply took a seat at an empty table.
A few minutes later, after taking slightly longer than usual, a clearly reluctant Taki finally brought over a cup of tea.
"Don't drop it."
Just as Taki was about to slam the cup down, Chihiro swiftly reached out to stop her.
"Don't bother me when you have nothing to say. And even if you do have something, act like you don't."
"Wait—get me a matcha latte too."
"I never said I was sitting down to drink tea with you."
"I never said I was buying for you, either."
Chihiro smirked, dancing right on the edge of Taki's patience.
"I'm waiting for a friend. Can't I order for them?"
"...Fine."
"Oh—she's here."
As soon as Chihiro spoke,
Taki really did see a girl with reddish-brown hair step into the café.
The girl scanned the room, her eyes lighting up the moment she spotted "Soyo."
And then—
She walked straight toward her.
Wait—what?
Taki blinked in confusion.
But then she reconsidered.
Probably just a classmate from Tsukinomori.
Soyo probably picked this place on purpose—trying to prove she has friends outside of CRYCHIC.
Hah. Childish.
"Sorry, Soyo! I'm late. Took me a while to get here from cram school."
Cram school?
Taki, still behind the counter, furrowed her brows.
Soyo… and cram school?
Those were two words she had never imagined in the same sentence.
"Yeah. Since I'll be studying abroad after high school, I figured I should spend some time catching up on English."
…Studying abroad?
Taki's mind blanked.
She never thought she'd hear those words from Soyo's mouth.
Wait—
Was this about what Sakiko said to her that day…?